


Black Waters

by bring_me_the_ships



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: I really wanted to write something with regulus, and it turned out way better than i expected, and this happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-08
Updated: 2016-09-08
Packaged: 2018-08-13 20:17:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7984816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bring_me_the_ships/pseuds/bring_me_the_ships
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Regulus knew about the Horcrux and he intended to take it, to destroy it. Though while he plans, he writes two very important letters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Black Waters

Regulus was shaking, more from nerves than from the chill creeping in through his open window. He knew it was stupid, and likely bloody suicidal, to be writing this letter from here, from his family home, but that wouldn’t matter soon anyways.  


He knew the writing was sloppy, at least more so than his usual perfectly looping cursive, but he needed to be fast. His father, or--Merlin forbid, his mother could walk in at any time, and if that were to happen, he was as good as dead. That would not do. 

  


Not yet at least.

  


This was just the first of two he would be writing, and this one was far more important than the other. This one could make a difference, the other was merely rubbing salt in a wound he would soon create. Ever the Slytherin, he couldn’t resist bragging a victory, even if that victory may not be found out for years to come.

  


He finished the letter; it was much longer than intended, and hid it in a small slit he had cut into his mattress, casting a quick Reparo to hide the evidence. 

  


The second letter took much less time to write, he had been planning it for weeks now, and was much more easily hidden than the first. It was less than a third the size of the first, and hidden in plain sight: a chest of jewelry in his bedchambers. 

  


Now all that was left to do was wait.

  


\--

  


The day came nearly a month later. Walburga was at the Malfoy’s for tea, and Orion had gone missing once again. It wasn’t unusual for him to disappear for days on end after he and Walburga have a particularly awful row. Kreacher and Regulus were the only ones left in Grimmauld Place, and Kreacher was all he needed for this. 

  


He called the Elf to the room and nodded once.

  


“Kreacher, take me where he took you that day,” he said, holding a hand out.

  


“Yes, Master Regulus,” Kreacher obeyed instantly, always did, and took Regulus’ outstretched hand.

  


Regulus prepared himself and in a moment, the familiar pulling, squeezing sensation of Apparition washed over him.

  


They arrived, and it was not nearly what Regulus expected. It was a small island, one with black rocks and crashing waves, sea spray that lingered on your every sense, brittle and salty mist that he felt seeping into his clothes and matting his hair to his face in the harsh wind. 

  


“You need to do exactly as I say while we are in here Kreacher. Consider every word out of my mouth an order, got it?” Regulus said, eyeing Kreacher next to him.

  


“Yes, Master Regulus. Kreacher will obey Master Regulus,” Kreacher responded, bowing his head.

  


“Then let’s go,” Regulus nodded, voice determined.

  


They reached what looked to be a solid rock, and Kreacher picked up a small, jagged rock and dragged it across his skin. He flinched less than Regulus did when the serrated edge broke the skin of Kreacher’s palm, beads of red trailing down the side. Kreacher lifted his hand and slid it along the wall, the fresh, living blood acting as a key and opening the door hidden in the wall.

  


Regulus stepped into the cave, Kreacher close behind, and cast a quiet Lumos to provide enough light to see. He tried to heal the cut on Kreacher’s still bleeding hand with Episkey, but there seemed to be something preventing him being able to, maybe wards. He settled instead on severing a strip of cloth from Kreacher’s pillowcase (he was unsure if a piece of his robes would be considered presenting Kreacher clothes), and bound the wound.

  


Once he was satisfied, he straightened and began looking around the cavern. They were on a shore--more a rocky ledge than that, and the thin land spanned all the way around. The rocks dropped off into black as pitch water, stopping just short of lapping onto the shore. Regulus suspected that the slightly foul odour was stemming from there. He could see in the distance something in the water, what was probably their destination, but was unsure as to exactly what it was.

  


“He wouldn’t make it that easy. Swimming is too obvious, traps in the water probably. Spells are out if it’s warded against a simple Healing spell. There must be something hidden, something that would do the job,” Regulus muttered to himself. “Kreacher, I need you to answer a question for me."

  


"A question, Sir?” Kreacher asked, cocking his head. 

  


“Yes, a question. When the Dark Lord brought you here, how did you cross the water?” Regulus asked, cursing himself for not realising immediately that Kreacher would know.

  


“Kreacher cannot say, Sir. Mistress has forbade Kreacher from saying any of what the Dark Lord told him,” Kreacher responded, wringing his hands together.

  


“If you cannot say, can you retrieve it?” Regulus tried, grinning in relief when Kreacher nodded.

  


“Kreacher can try, Sir.”

  


Kreacher turned and walked along the shore, stopping about twenty feet away from Regulus and groping at seemingly thin air. It took nearly a minute, but soon Kreacher was pulling a chain, and a boat began materialising from the water. 

  


“Brilliant,” he exhaled and climbed on. “Come on, Kreacher. I need your help yet.” 

  


“Yes, Master Regulus,” Kreacher responded and clambered into the small boat, understandably hesitant considering his last experience with this place.

  


The boat began moving forward of its own accord, and before long, Regulus saw what had been left in the water to prevent anyone getting out of here alive. It was littered with corpses, though since this was the work of the Dark Lord, they were likely Inferi, or placed under some other curse.

  


It took only a few minutes to reach what was revealed to be a small patch of land with a stone basin in the centre of it filled with something emitting an emerald glow. 

  


He and Kreacher stepped off the gently rocking boat, both careful not to touch the water. Regulus peered into the basin, finding the source of the green glow to be a shining, translucent potion, the bottom just out of sight. Kreacher was not quite so curious, cowering behind Regulus’ legs and trying to get as far from the basin as he could without falling off the edge. 

  


This was what the Dark Lord gave to Kreacher, what had caused him to come home so beaten down and shaken. It was designed to weaken the drinker of it, to make them need the water. Of course it was. He couldn’t afford anyone to make it out of here. What lay at the bottom of that potion was much too important.

  


He picked up one of the small rocks next to the basin and Transfigured it into a goblet, simple magic. Level of skill achievable by a first year. Everything up to this point had been significantly easier than it should be, and Regulus knew the potion would be Hell itself.

  


“Kreacher,” Regulus said, straightening his back. 

  


“Sir?” Kracher croaked, looking like he was hoping beyond hope that he would not be tasked with emptying the potion.

  


“Did you have to drink it last time? Or was there any other way it could be emptied?” Regulus asked, praying to deities he’d never believed in that it was the latter.

  


“Drink, Sir. Kreacher has to drink,” Kreacher responded, moving to take the goblet. 

  


Regulus moved his hand away.

  


“I suppose it’s fortunate that I am rather parched,” Regulus joked, dipping the goblet into the potion, meeting no resistance. 

  


“Master Regulus musn't,” Kreacher protested. “It lights you on fire from the inside, shows you your worst memories. Kreacher must do it, Sir!”

  


“Kreacher, I told you when we entered. Take everything I say as if it is an order. I will not make you suffer this again. I will do it,” Regulus ordered, nodding when Kreacher shied away. “Cheers.”

  


He tipped the goblet back and scrunched his nose up as the cold, bitter liquid slid down his throat. He’d downed half what was in the cup before it took effect.

  


He whimpered and choked, forcing down the rest of the contents of the goblet, spluttering as he tried to swallow.

  


_There was a letter. Mummy was so angry. She was screaming and cursing. Regulus was so afraid. He took the letter when mummy and daddy weren’t looking. Sirius was a Gryffindor. Regulus didn’t quite understand why mummy was so angry about it, but she was so scary, Regulus believed it was bad too. Mummy started yelling at him more because of Sirius, so Regulus decided Sirius must’ve done something very bad, and reckoned he didn’t much like Sirius anymore if Sirius was the reason the tutor started taking a ruler to his knuckles during lessons._

  


Regulus felt like someone had both submerged him in ice and lit a match to him, and he could vaguely hear Kreacher shouting, but he understand none of it over the roaring in his ears. He was four glasses in, maybe half of it left.

  


_“Slytherin!” the Hat shouted out to the Great Hall. His cousins at the Slytherin table all decked out in green were cheering. On the opposite end, Sirius’ jaw was tense, and Regulus recognised that he was about to cry. Sure enough, moments later he stormed out of the hall, his friend with the scars following behind him. He didn’t dislike his brother like he thought he had two years previously, but he was sure Sirius hated him now._

  


The roaring in in his ears had shifted to ringing, and he felt as if they would burst at any second--or maybe he was screaming. The fire in his bones was spreading, igniting every nerve ending, and the icy sensation had settled in his stomach, weighing it down and making him shake violently. He still had plenty of the potion left.

  


He couldn’t. His hands were shaking far too much. He couldn’t lift it, didn’t have the strength to get the full goblet up to his lips.

  


“Kreacher,” he gasped out, hoping his voice was somewhat intelligible. “Pour.”

  


He opened his mouth, and moments later there was more of the foul liquid touching his lips--when had it left his hands?--and the pain burned even brighter than previously.

  


_“Filthy blood traitor! Stain on my name!” Regulus heard from his room. Walburga and Sirius were fighting again. Nothing new. They would calm down soon enough and silence would--”Crucio!” Regulus jumped up at that, it definitely was not normal, and ran down to the sitting room quietly as possible. Sirius was on the ground writhing around, effects of the spell not quite faded, Walburga had a self-satisfied smirk on her face, and Orion looked more shocked than anything. He cursed under his breath and turned back around, padding silently to nick some healing potions and his wand._

  


He was sure he was on the ground; there was no way he was capable of standing at this point. He seemed to have lost all senses at this point though, so he couldn’t be sure. At least he was numb to the pain.

  


_When the noise downstairs had silenced, Regulus chanced going back down, and found Sirius alone, still curled into the fetal position, seeming more in shock than in pain at this point. Regulus struggled to get his significantly larger brother up the stairs and down the hall to Regulus’ room, but he managed. He gave Sirius a Calming Drought and a Pepper-Up, and began casting healing charms on the bruises littering him._

  


He supposed Kreacher must’ve given him another goblet full of that torturous liquid because the most vivid, intense wave of pain yet washed over him and his vision went white before settling back into the hazy nothingness of before. He knew he screamed that time. The feeling in his throat was one that could come from nothing else.

  


_Flashes._

  


_“You know I’m leaving, right Reg? I can’t stay after tonight. She’s going to kill me if I don’t marry Bellatrix.” A nod from Regulus. “Even if she blasts me off that bloody tapestry, you’re my little brother.”_

  


_Sirius gone. The screaming is directed at him now._

  


_Sixteen years old. A searing of black into his flesh. Still a child. Now a slave._

  


_Mum sees. She smiles at him for the first time since Sirius left. So proud of Regulus. Almost beautiful when she smiles._

  


_A woman is screaming. Mudblood, Bella says. Won’t stop screaming. Have to shut her up. Green light. Bella is laughing. The woman is on the ground._

  


_Kreacher is hurt. Regulus wants blood. Finally. Not Muggleborn. Wants the Dark Lord dead._

  


He regains his senses enough to see again, to see Kreacher standing over him absolutely petrified. Vision blurs again. Kreacher is on tiptoe, goblet on the ground. His vision snaps to horrifying, painfully vivid clarity. Even the dim cavern is entirely too bright, details too much. Kreacher is dropping something into his palm. He squints and looks down.

  


The locket.

  


He did it. He got the locket. He had to trust someone to get the rest. That’s why he wrote the first of the two letters. There was only one person he would trust with it. He could only hope that he would be trusted in return.

  


“Kreacher,” he rasped.

  


“Yes, Master Regulus?” Kreacher asked, something in his tone making Regulus think he may know what was coming.

  


He pulled the replica of the locket he’d had made out of his robes.

  


“Replace the original with this,” Regulus began, “then I want you to go home. Find the letter hidden inside of my mattress. See that it is delivered and reaches its destination. Then destroy the locket, I beg of you.”

  


“Master Regulus-”

  


“That is an order Kreacher. Do as I say and leave me. I have made peace with my fate.”

  


A sob he did not believe to be his own, and then Kreacher was departing.

  


\--

  


_Sirius,_

  


_If you read this, Kreacher has followed my orders._

  


_There is a locket I left him to destroy, but I believe there are others like it._

  


_They contain pieces of the Dark Lord’s soul. Horcruxes. I know I have given you no reason to trust me in recent years, but I need you to believe that this is true. I would try to explain all of this to you in person, but this letter is because that is impossible._

  


_You said yourself all those years ago; I am your brother. That is why you are the only one I trust with something of this much importance._

  


_Your friends are in danger as well. Potter and his wife. There is a spy, someone you all trust immensely. I do not know who. Nobody does except for the Dark Lord that I know of. Even Bellatrix hasn’t been told. Keep them safe. He is a better brother to you than I ever could be._

  


_I apologise for this being so short. I had to be quick so that Mother and Father did not see._

  


_Best of luck,  
Regulus Black_

  


\--

  


Sirius received the letter, of course he did. Kreacher bloody loved Regulus entirely too much to disobey him.

  


And he believed it. He hated himself for it, but he believed Regulus. That letter sounded like Reggie, like his brother, not like a Death Eater trying to trick him.

  


He studied. He searched. He learned everything there was to know about Horcruxes and he searched.

  


He tried so hard to weed out the spy. Chances are, it was either Peter or Remus. He thought the Death Eaters wouldn’t even consider Peter because of how severely everyone underestimated him, but he didn’t--couldn’t believe that Remus would betray them. Even if he was acting a bit shady lately.

  


He was one to talk, he supposed. He was always gone, if not for the Order then looking for Horcruxes. He hadn’t told anyone. Reg said he only trusted Sirius with this. 

  


The letter; Sirius couldn’t tell if Reg meant it to sound like he was dead or in hiding, but whichever it was, Sirius would carry out his wishes. Make Voldemort killable. Do his part to end this bloody war.

  


\--

  


It was nearly a year after the letter when the rat ratted James and Lily and Harry out. The one they had trusted more than Remus, more than their Moony.

  


He was a rat for good reason.

  


When the Aurors arrived to take Sirius away to Azkaban, Sirius laughed and laughed. James and Lily were dead, Peter would be when Sirius got hold of him again, and Remus would think Sirius the traitor. Reg would too if he was hiding out somewhere, if he was still alive, something Sirius still did not know.

  


He laughed, because wasn’t this a cruel twist of humour?

  


The dog, stupidly loyal, going to that pit in place of his rat best friend, the unsuspecting and deviously clever traitor.

  


If Regulus was out there, he would fix this. He would destroy those Horcruxes. He would kill Voldemort. 

  


Sirius knew Voldemort wasn’t dead even if nobody else did, knew he was only resting.

  


Now if that wasn’t something to laugh about, what was?

  


**Author's Note:**

> whoops


End file.
